Savage Cinderella Read Online Free

lantern hung above the
hearth. An ancient ax leaned against a stack of wood, and a shelf
with glass containers of dried herbs divided the small curtained
windows. More herbs hung drying from the rafters, the stalks bound
tightly in bunches. The leafy bouquets dangled upside down in a
long row. Could this be all a person needed to survive? It was a
far cry from his condo in Atlanta. An instant burst of gratitude
flooded his chest at how lucky he was—his own family issues
notwithstanding.
    "My name is Justin Spencer. I don’t mean to
frighten you, but I was here on assignment, so you should know that
people will be looking for me if I don't show up tomorrow."
    Maybe if he appealed to her sense of privacy,
she would let him be on his way. She glared at him and ignored the
comment. Wincing with the small effort it took to turn toward the
girl, he realized he wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon. His
gut tightened. Where were her people? She couldn't possibly live
out here alone in the mountains.
    "By the way, how did you bring me here?” he
asked. “Do you have family or friends that helped you?"
    A hint of a smile crossed her face in the
firelight, softening her wary expression. "I have a friend, yes."
Then the smile was gone, and she stared off into the flame blazing
in the stone hearth. "I don’t have a family."
    Justin wondered about the friend who had
helped carry him to this cabin and whether this friend would be
friendly or not when morning came. Not wanting to think too hard
about the prospect, Justin continued his inquiry. "Do you live here
alone, then?"
    She eyed him, measuring her response before
answering. "Sometimes.”
    “ How did you come to live
so far into the mountains?” Justin asked, curiosity taking over. He
watched her in the soft glow of candlelight and shadow. Her eyes
shimmered like blue gems as she stared into the fire. A blank
expression covered her face as if she were somewhere
else.
    Finally returning to the moment, she set her
eyes on his and let out a slow breath. She evaded the question and
answered instead, "The forest is my home, this cabin shelters me
from the wind and rain, and the streams, roots, and bushes provide
food for me."
    She stopped to take another deep breath and
added in an almost imperceptible whisper that gripped Justin's
heart, "I’m safe here."

Chapter 3
    In the Light of Day
     
    The man finally drifted off after she stopped
answering his onslaught of questions. She’d prepared a cup of
willow bark tea mixed with chamomile and valerian that he drank
without argument, despite complaining of the pungent odor and
bitter taste. Uncertain of his motives and having no clear plan for
the unusual houseguest who lay in her bed, she remained wary,
answering in vague, clipped sentences until he yawned deeply and
stopped talking. The powerful mix of herbs should keep him sleeping
comfortably until morning. She’d worried about his head injury, but
since his vision seemed fine and he was speaking coherently, she
decided that sleep would be the best medicine. If his breathing
became labored or shallow, she would wake him. She stoked the fire,
added a few more logs, and then sat down on the old sea trunk
listening to the rhythm of his breath.
    Dozing, she awakened to the steady sound of
his light snore, so unfamiliar and yet oddly comforting. To have
another person sleeping so near tugged at a place deep in her
soul—a place where warm arms held her gently and the sweet smell of
home permeated the air.
    A mother who carried the scent of eucalyptus:
a father who smelled of coffee and newspaper: sitting in a big
kitchen eating cinnamon toast. The distant memories emerged in
flashes, and a desperate desire for companionship hummed beneath
the surface of her dreams. The thought of having someone to depend
on both warmed and frightened her.
    The hollow ache of loneliness had lived
inside her for as long as she could remember. She had accepted that
a different life lay in a world